Well that was an interesting ending.
If you were to preview this match up at the beginning of the season, you would very likely say the Arizona Cardinals would have fallen well short of the Green Bay Packers.
But, that wasn’t even close to being in the case today.
Even without Kylar Murray, the Cardinals still managed to keep it close in a tough Week 7 loss.
Let’s take a look at key stats that tell the story of the game:
The offensive line had a shaky season and continues to be a problem. Jacoby Brissett getting sacked six times is just unacceptable today.
The Cardinals have a young offense. But, something needs to change up front. They’ve had games where they’ve only given up one or two sacks, though the front has probably been the most inconsistent out of any room on the Cardinals this season.
It’s hard to knock the running backs with all of the injuries they’ve had this season. Now, could they have done better than 94 yard yards today? Yes.
But, Bam Knight certainly showed some sparks in today’s matchup, as a depth chart running back gave the Packers trouble. That’s certainly something you never would’ve expected to say, especially with Green Bay's No. 1 ranked run defense.
There were parts of this game that were tough to watch for the Cardinals, but quarterback play was not one of them.
Despite being sacked six times, Brissett was a substantial reason the Cardinals were in this game, racking up two touchdowns and 110.8 QB rating.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing also did a nice job getting several guys involved on the offense, with eight different players touching the ball.
If the Cardinals would have won this game, the game ball absolutely would’ve gone to Brissett.
Several defensive players had a strong game. But, it was Budda Baker as one of the stars in the show. Even Max Melton and Will Johnson had solid games, combining for 15 total tackles.
It seems like almost every week the secondary is struggling. But, that certainly wasn’t the case today.
Sure, Josh Jacobs finished with two touchdowns. But the Cardinals' run defense made some big stops throughout this game. Calais Campbell was one of the leaders in this one, with four total tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass deflection.
The Cardinals have dealt with lingering injuries on their defensive line for much of this season. But, they stayed consistent throughout this game - thanks to Campbell's presence.
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